5-a-day for babies

How much fruit and veg does your baby need for a healthy diet?

5-a-day for babies

Of course, fruit & vegetables are a staple of your baby's diet during the first stages of weaning, but many parents don’t know how much fruit and veg they should feed their baby once weaning is established. The good news is, the rule of thumb is still “5-a-day” - it's just the size of the portions that changes.

Why do we need 5-a-day?

Fruit & vegetables are an essential part of a balanced diet and help to keep us healthy

Fruit & vegetables are a good source of vitamins and minerals, including potassium, vitamin C and folate.

Fruit & vegetables are also a good source of dietary fibre, which helps maintain a healthy gut and prevent constipation.

A diet including plenty of fruit & vegetables helps reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers.

They taste great, and there's a wide variety to choose from!

Studies have shown that the foods we're given as babies do affect our food choices when we're older, so including 5 different portions of fruit & veg in your baby’s daily diet is one of the best ways you can help give him or her a lifelong love of healthy food.

What does a baby portion look like?

The 5-a-day advice for adults is based upon World Health Organisation guidance, which recommends eating at least 400g of fruit & vegetables a day. This means the recommended size for an adult portion of fruit or veg is around 80g.

There aren't yet any formal recommendations for baby or toddler portion sizes, so our nutritionist suggests using the following as a guide:

At stage 1 (around 6 months) one portion = 30g

At stage 2 (from 7 months) one portion = 35g

At stage 3 (from 10 months) one portion = 40g

The toddler portion sizes we recommend here are based on guidelines issued by the Caroline Walker Trust; we've scaled them down accordingly to suit younger babies.

One portion of fruit juice is 60ml in stage 1, 70ml in stage 2 and 75ml in stage 3. (Remember, juice only counts as one portion per day, no matter how much is drunk.)

To get the most from our 5-a-day, we should all be eating a variety of different fruits and vegetables. Each type of fruit or vegetable contains different nutrients, so eating 3 apples isn't as beneficial as eating an apple, some broccoli and a banana.

Helping your baby get 5-a-day with HiPP Organic

Whether it's a quick and easy meal, a dessert or a snack you're after, most of our HiPP Organic jars and fruit pots contain 1 portion of fruit or veg, and our fruit pouches contain up to 2 portions of fruit.

Better yet, all of our packs have been designed to show how many portions of fruit and veg they contain, making it even easier for you to give your little one the very best. You’ll find this information on the back of the pack, in the heart bullet points. Take a look at our food and drink pages to find out more.

Foods with the same colour contain similar nutrients, so offering a rainbow of colours will help make sure your little one gets the best possible nutrition.